Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Jun 22/01) - Cracking open a cold beer on a hot summer day is not adverse to many Yellowknife residents' recreational habits.
We expect the taste to be sparkling and refreshing.
But Yellowknifer has discovered that some beer still on local liquor store shelves is well past its brewing date.
Labels on OV beer, a Molson Breweries product, say it has the "freshest taste within 110 days," but a dozen cans purchased last Friday were labelled as being brewed on Feb. 23, two days past the recommended consumption date.
As of press time, other cans with the same date were still sitting on liquor store shelves.
A further inspection of cans and bottles at the liquor store revealed few brewing dates less than two months old. OV bottles were even older than the cans. They were dated Jan. 18.
According to Yellowknife liquor warehouse manager Terry Denischuk, most beer arrives in the city within a month of its brewing date, and may remain there for an additional two to three weeks.
How long it remains on liquor store shelves is an entirely different question.
Denischuk said it is rare for old beer to be passed on through the warehouse because the pallets they arrive on are usually clearly marked and dated.
"Normally, they're tagged on the outside of the pallet with the date of month and day (of brewing)," Denischuk said.
"Unless there was the wrong label on it corresponding with the cans, then sometimes the old ones get through."
Both Denischuk and Molson Breweries said OV is not traditionally a strong seller, but the brand does have a loyal following among some beer drinkers. Liquor store management declined to comment.
Beer still okay to drink
Babita Khunkhun, acting public affairs manager for Molson Breweries out of Vancouver, said while their beer tastes freshest before the recommended consumption date, drinking it a few months past it should not have any adverse effects.
"It's definitely still safe," said Khunkhun. "The 110 days is a guideline for when its freshest. It's still drinkable sometime after that."
"If you leave it in the trunk of your car all summer long, some consumers might notice that it's not the freshest."
Khunkhun said people can contact the toll free 1-800 number printed on the side of cans and bottles if they have a complaint, and Molson will replace their purchase.
Ron Courtoreille, general manager of the NWT Liquor Commission, said it is still common to find outdated beer in outlying communities, but standards are usually a little better in Yellowknife.
"The staff may not be rotating the stock as it's supposed to be," said Courtoreille. "If we get a complaint, normally we would pull it off the shelf. Six months is a bit long."
Long-time residents remember days when 'skunky beer' was commonplace.
"It all came in by barge through Hay River and then it came into Yellowknife usually about July-August," said Shorty Brown, recalling beer shipments during the early '50s.
"It started going a little skunky by February," he said. "By March you'd be shi--ing your brains out."
Brown said even when the beer started to spoil, there were still plenty of people adventurous enough to try it. Moreover, he believes little has changed over the years if there is free beer to be found.
"When they were throwing it all out, there would be old guys with pails and tubs loading it up for themselves," said Brown. "I bet if you put a notice out tomorrow, 'free beer,' it'd be gone in two minutes."
Denischuk said all spoiled beer returned to the warehouse is either shipped back to the brewery or dumped.
